The Whole Package: A Balanced, Holistic Framework to Ensure Packaging Success

The way I see it, the three main goals of any packaging design initiative are: 1) effectively communicating your business's offering, 2) engaging consumers—the right consumers—in a meaningful way, and 3) driving sales. Yet, in today’s marketplace, we’re seeing a growing trend of packaging that, while undeniably beautiful, often falls short of fulfilling these objectives. Whether it’s the result of gig-economy platforms like 99designs and Fiverr, where cheap, quick-turn creativity sometimes outweighs thoughtful strategy, the increasing pressures to produce creative work at speeds unsuitable for rationality, or simply artistic ego, I really don’t know. But I hate seeing businesses pour money into packaging projects that don’t reap returns.

What I’d like to do is offer up a balanced framework to help you prevent putting your business through such a debacle. In this article, I’ll break down this approach into its complementary parts: Positioning, Core Values, Aesthetics, and Functionality (The first two falling under the “strategy” umbrella and the latter falling under “design”). Together, these components will help us identify what’s so often missing in designs that fall flat and, more importantly, how to ensure your packaging does exactly what it’s meant to do: engage consumers, communicate clearly, and land in carts (virtual or otherwise). Let’s dive in.‍

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Strategy

The first two components of our whole packaging framework are essential elements of brand strategy. Remember this: design without strategy is just art. If your design team does not take the time to get to know your business, market and consumers, you’re just paying for pretty pictures and cool boxes - not investing in your brand. Strategy should come first and act as the compass for all subsequent design decisions. If you’re looking for your investment to return home, make sure that it has a sense of direction before leaving your hands.

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Core Values: Tell Your Story

If you want your packaging to drive brand growth and lead to repeat purchase you will need to include your story. And if you’re going to tell your story, your Core Values will act as the foundation of the narrative. They define who you are, what you stand for, and why you exist. Now, more than ever before, consumers are looking beyond products and attributes. They want to understand your brand's meaning: “why” it exists, how it will change their lives and how it is interacting with the world.

Designers must be willing to put their pencils down and listen to your story. Only by taking the time to understand your Core Values can they create packaging that connects with your consumers on a level beyond the function of your product. You want them to distill and communicate your reason-for-being, so you can form authentic connections that build trust and loyalty. This is the difference between buy and try consumers and brand advocates.

The stakes? Without it, your packaging will not connect.

Your Core Values inject your packaging with meaning. Even if your packaging is aesthetically pleasing, designing without considering your brand’s Core Values will leave consumers disconnected, uninterested, and unmotivated to care.‍

Items to Consider:

Mission: Your mission is the driving force behind your brand—why you exist beyond just selling a product. It defines your purpose, your promise to consumers, and the impact you strive to make in their lives.

Vision: Your vision is where your brand is headed. It’s the bigger picture, the long-term goal, and the aspirational future you’re building toward. It guides growth, innovation, and the lasting legacy you want to create.

Authenticity: Your core values must be genuine and deeply ingrained in your brand’s identity. Consumers today are savvy—they can tell when a brand’s values are just for show. Authenticity means living your values in every aspect of your business, from branding and messaging to company culture and customer interactions.

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Positioning: Know Your Aim

It’s a very funny saying, but “ready, fire, aim” is an all too common error made in branding today. Although it sounds like common sense, the idea that we should be designing towards a goal is very easy to overlook when you’re entrenched in work pressures, company politics and even just the allure of having an exciting idea that you can’t wait to bring to life.

At HBX, an adage we often used is “think more, do less”. What’s meant by this is that if you want to create effective design, you have to stop and think about what the actual problem is before you can craft any worthwhile solutions. If your design team hasn’t laid this groundwork, there’s a higher chance your brand will face irrelevance and your investment won’t be returned. Make sure they’ve work with you to define who cares about your product, where it fits into the market landscape, and how your value differentiates you from the competition.‍

The stakes? Without it there’s no aim.

Positioning gives your creative an aim. If you’re designers venture out without considering your position in the marketplace, even if the work is fantastic, the message will not be received. The effort will be wasted.

Items to Consider:

Audience: Positioning starts with knowing exactly who you’re talking to. Define their needs, aspirations, and pain points. The sharper your audience focus, the stronger your message. A brand for everyone is a brand for no one, so get specific.

Differentiation: What makes your brand the obvious choice? It’s not just about being different—it’s about being meaningfully different. Find your unique space in the market and own it. If your competitors can say the same thing, your positioning isn’t sharp enough.

Brand Promise (Value Proposition) Why should your audience care? Your value proposition isn’t just a list of benefits—it’s a promise of impact. How does your brand improve lives, solve problems, or fulfill desires? The clearer and more compelling your promise, the stronger your position.

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Design

Design should only begin once you’re confident your strategy is solid. I’ll repeat: design comes after strategy. It’s tempting to jump straight into design because there’s a natural amount of excitement and pride tied up in it. Much like you strive to present the best possible version of yourself to the world, your brand is an extension of you—so of course, you want it to do the same. It’s “the fun part” - the dessert. Unfortunately, a lot of well meaning branding initiatives go down the drain because design is seen as the main course. So, if you feel like your project’s strategy has been given the attention it needs, then you can move onto design. Let’s discuss.

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Aesthetics: Evoke Emotion

Although it’s become a bit of a cliche, it’s still rings true that in todays oversaturated and hyper competitive markets your packaging only has seconds to engage consumers and persuade them to make a purchase. Design and specifically aesthetic is the star of the show in this regard. Why is that? Because it’s where emotion is injected. And, if it’s guided by strategy, that’s where the magic really happens.

By aesthetic, we of course mean the elements people most frequently associate with “design”; typography, color, shape, structure, photography, illustration, materials and so on. By melding these elements with your objectives, values, and positioning, designers can make consumers feel something. I would argue that when most people hear the term “design” they don’t think very far beyond this idea of aesthetic. That’s because it’s where everything comes together. It’s the top 10% of the proverbial ice berg. But of course, the bottom 90% are the other components in our framework.

The stakes? Without it, it there’s no emotion?

Aesthetic is the heart and soul of your package. It’s the face. It’s the part that gets all the credit, because it’s the part that’s actually talking to consumers - engaging, making connections and touching on emotions.

Items to Consider:

Logo & Brand Marks: Your logo is the face of your brand—distinct, memorable, and reflective of your identity. Additional marks, like icons or sub-logos, help maintain visual consistency across different platforms.

Color Palette: Colors evoke emotions and shape perception. A well-chosen palette should align with your brand personality and remain consistent across all touchpoints, from packaging to digital presence.

Typography: Fonts have personality. Whether bold and authoritative or elegant and refined, typography should reinforce your brand’s tone and ensure readability across platforms.

Imagery & Photography Style: Every image should tell a story. Whether it’s sleek product shots, lifestyle photography, or hand-drawn illustrations, your visual style should be distinct and cohesive.

Graphic Elements: From textures to icons, supporting visuals create depth and continuity in branding. These elements add personality and reinforce brand recognition.

Brand Voice & Tone: While not purely visual, your aesthetic should align with your brand’s personality. A playful brand might have bold, quirky graphics, while a luxury brand might lean toward minimalism and elegance.

Packaging Structure: More than just holding a product, packaging structure shapes usability, protection, and brand perception. It’s the first touchpoint, blending form and function to enhance the consumer experience. A well-designed structure doesn’t just contain—it captivates.

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Functionality: Make Sure it Works

Walt Disney had a brother named Roy. You don’t know Roy, but if Roy didn’t exist, you wouldn’t know Walt either. Roy ran all of the business operations as Disney started his company because Walt was a a great artist but a lousy businessman. Functionality is kind of like aesthetics’ younger brother Roy. Without it, your design would not be very effective.

When I say functionality, I’m referring to the solutions we provide for all of the variables and constraints that today’s marketplaces present. These can be simple human variables such as eye sight: making sure the typography on our packaging is large enough to see and read from a distance, or retail variables such as shelf design: factoring in a 2 inch lip on certain store shelving and making sure no critical information is blocked by that lip. If you have jaw dropping artwork on your packaging but the type isn’t legible, you’re probably not going to get a lot of purchases. Test your packaging in their real world setting to make sure your designers haven’t missed any critical details or failed to factor in human nature. ‍

The stakes? Without it, it there’s no effectiveness.

The typeface chosen for your new logo is very cool, but have you factored in that people can’t read it from more than 4 feet away? Remember to step into the grocery store and assess whether your packaging really works in the arena it will compete in.‍

Items to Consider:

User Experience: Great packaging artwork isn’t just eye-catching—it enhances usability. Thoughtful typography, intuitive layouts, and clear visuals ensure effortless navigation, from identifying the product to understanding its use. Contrast, hierarchy, and accessibility considerations (like easy-to-read labels) make packaging more inclusive and functional, ensuring a seamless customer experience from shelf to home.‍

Market Constraints: Packaging must adapt to unique retail environments—whether it’s standing out in freezer cases, fitting awkward shelf spaces, or overcoming blind spots. Strategic design ensures visibility, accessibility, and optimal positioning, making sure your product gets noticed and picked up.

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Conclusion‍

As a designer, I want to see my clients succeed. I don’t want to look back on our relationship as time and money wasted. This is why we at HBX follow a holistic packaging framework. Today’s consumers and markets call for packaging that goes far beyond communication. By factoring in all the necessary elements - positioning, core values, aesthetic and functionality, we aim to help serve our clients by creating packaging that helps communicate their offering, engage consumers, drive sales growth, and recoup their investment. Happy packaging!

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